Gate-fastener



W. F. GLANDT.

GATE FASTENER. APPLJCATI'ON men JAN-3.1921.

1,392,934, Patented Oct. 11,1921;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GATE-FASTENER.

Application filed January 3, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. GLANDT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Stanton county, near Leigh, in the county of Colfax and 7 {state of Nebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Gate-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to prov de a gate fastener of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, which can readily and easily be installed in operating position.

More particularly it is my object to provide a gate fastener adapted to be used in combination with a wire gate having a bar at one end for holding the gate in closed position, the parts being so arranged that when the fastener device is moved to its closed position, it will normally be held so.

Still another object is to provide a fastener device for wire gates or the like which is designed to be secured to a fence post and provided with a lever device, having a link thereon. The link being designed to engage the bar of the wire gate so that the swinging of the lever will draw the wire gate to taut position. The fastener device being provided with a pin or the like whereby the accidental movement of the lever for releasin the gate will be prevented.

till another object is to provide in such a device a link for engaging the upper end of a-bar of a wire fence or the like, which link may be selectively received in any of a series of openings in a lever so that expansion or contraction of the parts may be taken care of by adjusting the link.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

F igure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gate fastener installed in position.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail, sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, showing how the fastener device is held locked; and

Fig. 4: is a detail, sectional view of the lever and link device. 7

In the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate gen- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

SeriaI No. 434,532.

erally an ordinary fence post, which has fixed to it the wire 11 in the usual manner.

A wire gate A, which is composed of the wires 12 which are fixed at one end to a fence post (not shown) and have their other end fixed to a movable bar 13 I have provided a link or fastening member l4 which is fixed to the fence post 10 near ts lower end by means of the screws 15. The lower end of the movable bar 13 is designed to be received within the free end of the llllk 14 for holding it in position.

My mproved fastening device is fixed to the upper end of the post 10 and includes an 1nverted L shaped bracket member 16, whlch has one of its sides resting upon the upper surface of the fence ost 10 and its other slde resting against tf e side of the fence post 10, as illustrated in the drawings- The bracket member 16 may be either bolted or nailed to the ost 10; in the drawings I have shown the nails 17 extended through the upper portions of the bracket for fastening it to the post. Screws 18 are extended through the lower portion or side of the bracket 16 and extended into the side of the post 10.

A bar 19 rests adjacent to a portion of the bracket 16 and has the bolts 18 extended through it. The bar 19 may be fixed to the bracket 16 by means of the rivets 20, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The bar 19 extends slightly upwardly from the bracket 16 and has its upper end turned a quarter turn, as at 21 so as to form a hearing member 22.

A lever 23 is pivoted in the bearing member 22 by means of a rivet or the like 2.4:.

From the construction of the parts just described it will be seen that the lever 23 may be swung upon its pivot which is the rivet 24:. The lever 23 is provided with a series of spaced openings 25, which are do signed to selectively receive a fastening link device 26. r

The link device 26 is formed of a single rod, bent upon itself so as to form the curved portion 27 which engages the upper end of the bar 13 of the gate A.

One end of the link 26 is bent substantially at right angles to its main body portion, as at 28, and has its end screw-threaded at 29. The opposite end of the link 26 is provided with a loop 30 which receives the screwthreaded end 29 of the portion 28.

A nut 31 is received on the screw-threaded portion 29 for holding the ends of the link 26 together as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The portion 28 of the link 26 may be selectively received in any of the openings 25 and will permit swinging or pivotal movement of the link 26 relative to the lever.

The lever 23 may be swung on its pivot so that the link 26 may engage the upper edge of'the bar 13 so that after it has engaged the bar 13 the swinging of the lever to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings will draw the bar to posi tion where the gate will be closed. The dotted lines in Fig. 1 show one of the positions of the lever and link.

When the lever 23 and the link 26 are in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, which is the closed position, it will be seen that the link 26 is below the center or pivot point of the lever 23. This will hold the lever and link normally in their closed position.

In order, however, to prevent the possible accidental opening of the gate by the animalsin the field rubbing againt the lever 23, I have provided an upwardly extending portion 32 on the bracket 16 which is provided with a notch 33, the purpose of which will be hereafter morefully set forth.

The upper end of the portion 32 on each side of the notch 33 is curved so as to form the loops 3a. WVhen the lever 23 is moved to its closed position it is received in the notch 33 of the portion 32. A pin 35 having a head 36 thereon may then be extended through the loops 34: above the lever 23 for thus preventing the raising of the lever when undesired.

The pin 35 may be provided with a cotter pin 36, or any other suitable device so as to prevent its accidental removal from the loops at. The cotter pin, or some other locking device for the pin 35, need only be used when there is danger of having animals on either side of the fence rubbing around the fastener.

In the practical operation of my device the lower end of the bar 13 is placed in the link 14: and the lever 23 is swung on its pivot so that the link 26 may engage the upper edge of the bar 13.

The swinging of the lever will then cause the upper end of the bar 13 to be drawn toward the post 10, and to locking position. The link 14: serving as a fulcrum for the drawing of the upper end of the bar 13 to closed position.

It will be noted that my device may readily and easily be installed in position, and may be placed upon any type of fence post without use of any special tools or equipment. Y r

One of the advantages of my device resides in the making of the parts adjustable the type of gate for which my device is designed.

Another advantage is the arrangement of the parts so that the link 26 'will be moved to position where it will be past center where the lever 23 will normally be held in its closed position without the use of any locking device.

Ahother advantage is the providing of the locking pin 35 which eliminates any possibility of accidental opening of the gate; the notch 33 serving asa guide device for the lever 23.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement ofthe various parts of my device without departingfrom the real spirit and purpose of my invention,

and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

In a device of the'class described adapted for use in combination with a wire gate or the like, having a bar at one end and a fence post, a link fixed near the lower end of said post and adapted to receive the lower end of the bar of said gate, means for engaging and drawing the upper end of said bar toward the post and for looking it against movement, said last means including an inverted l. shaped bracket having an upwardly extending bearing member fixed thereto,the upper end of said bracket being provided with a portion forni ed parallel with one side of the bracket, and providedwith a notch, a loop formed on the upper end of said last portion, a lever .pivotally mounted in said bearing member,,said lever being provided with a plurality of openings, a link capable of being selectively received in any of said last openings and capable of pivotal movement therein, said link being-formed of a single rod having an eye formed onone end and having its other end screw threaded,

said screw threaded end being adapted to extend through said eye and a nut for said screw threaded end for completing and securely holding the link in position, said link being designed to engage the upper'end of said bar and when said lever is swung on' 

